Florian Wirtz: Club chief admits signing Bayer Leverkusen star is 'clear goal'

Bayern Munich board member Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has admitted signing Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz is the club's "clear goal" heading into the summer transfer window.

Wirtz, 21, is in the midst of another dazzling campaign as he continues to leave his injury-hit 2021/22 season in the past. With 15 goals and 13 assists in all competitions so far, the Germany international is on track for his best individual return to date.

With a contract that runs until 2027, Wirtz is in the sights of most of Europe's elite. Real Madrid, Manchester City and Liverpool are among the teams chasing his signature, but Bayern's quest to keep the best German talents in the Bundesliga has seen them develop a fixation on pairing Wirtz up with international teammate Jamal Musiala.

In an interview with AZ, Rummenigge made "no secret of the fact that it must clearly be our goal to sign Wirtz".

"Everyone at FC Bayern agrees that he is exactly the player we want to sign. Not to weaken Leverkusen, but to strengthen us," added Rummenigge, who described Wirtz as the "best player in Germany".

Leverkusen are expected to cash in on Wirtz this summer as part of a mini-rebuild that could also see manager Xabi Alonso depart - Madrid are known to be keen on both - but any deal is likely to cost well over £100m.

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